Tag: #beboldbebraveandkeepyourgodfocus

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING- EP457 STRIKE A FIRE

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v72r1yz-god-focus-this-morning-ep457-strike-a-fire.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: STRIKE A FIRE

There are many ways to start a fire, matches, lighters, striking flint, carrying it on a torch to use to light something else on fire. There is also the boy scout way of rubbing sticks together which requires much skill and practice. Some even have waited for a lightening strike to harness the fire. However mankind got fire, it has been used to keep harmful animals away. It has been used to cook food so that germs can be killed and rendered harmless. It is used to keep the body from freezing to death. Fire can be passed on to others in various forms so that they too can cook, be safe and warm.

My late husband and I used to write a Christian newsletter one of the first small articles he wrote was called strike anywhere match. I am going to share it with you today. This was first shared in 2004, but is true now more than even.

“Almost everyone is familiar with the blue tip match. It is also known as the strike anywhere match. The job of this match is to be prepared, at any given point and time to start a fire. No preparation is needed because it is ready. The match has everything it needs to produce a flame and light.

Like the blue tip match, we need to be a strike anywhere Christian. Ready at any time to start a fire, by spreading God’s word. We need to warm the hearts of others with a song, a testimony or encouraging word.

Like the match, we never know when we will be called upon to start a fire. It is important to be prepared by being prayed up and have the scriptures in our hearts.”

This is how he lived his life and so many other precious people that I know. God wants us to be ready to just love people. Sharing his love and compassion are why we are here on this earth.

With the Spirit of God in us we will have his holy fire to share. When you come upon someone who is being attacked by the enemy, who needs spiritual food, who is freezing from the coldness, the cruelty of this world we can share God’s fire. It will cause the enemy to flee.

Satan cannot stand the presence of God’s Spirit. If we stand against him he will flee. He doesn’t want us to share the gospel because it is food for the soul. He definitely doesn’t want people to find the warmth of God’s fire, because they will develop hope. Satan’s job is to keep us feeling hopeless. He wants us to feel like there is not reason to stand and fight.

God’s fire can also cause something inside of us to rise up and be courageous. When the world wants to push us down and make us feel as small and insignificant as possible. God can lift us up and say, you are a warrior, you are strong because of me. You can walk through anything as long as I am with you.

In other words if the fire of God is in us, it will burn out all the cowardice within us. We will be bold enough to stand and say like the three Hebrew men, “Our God is able to save us from the fiery furnace, but if he doesn’t, we will not bow.” Or Bold enough to stand before a giant and say, “I come to you in the name of the Lord.”

Having that fire inside will give us strength to withstand temptation. It will give us boldness to look the enemy in the eye and tell him you are not bowing to him. When we resist his attempts to be tempting or cause fear, he will have to flee, because he cannot stand the fire of God that is inside of those who believe.

What about you today, are you full of fire? Are you brave enough to withstand the enemy? Are you like a strike anywhere match, looking for an opportunity to start a fire? Many lives are in need of God’s holy fire. They are waiting for the fire of revival to sweep through and cover them with God’ s anointing and power. All it takes is for us to spread the fire that we have within us. God will blow on the flame and cause a roaring blaze of revival. So be ready to strike that match to save someone who needs God’s holy fire.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE, SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGMENT

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EPISODE 437

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v715h6y-god-focus-this-morning-ep427-hear-my-heart.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: HEAR MY HEART

Sherri Easter many years ago sang a song that has an amazing sentiment. It is about being broken and not having words to even pray. One line says, “I’ll be quiet so you can hear my heart.” God hears the cry of our heart, he knows our fears, our worries and our pain. He knows how hard the path we are walking is for us to walk. Jesus walked the hardest path mankind ever walked. He understands our emotions and how easily we could be led by them if we are not careful. Although giving up is not an option, if we listened to our emotions, we may give up. That is why we have to let him listen to our hearts, so that he can reinforce our strength.

The world says, “Listen to your heart” which actually means listen to your emotions and do whatever you wish. The way of the world is to look out for yourself. This is really not listening to your heart. It is choosing a path that most of the time leads to destruction. This is walking by our emotions.

God can listen beyond the emotions to the desires of our heart. As children of God, he knows our heart, because he recreated them when we were born again. We just need to let that new heart talk to God in a quiet place. There are times we don’t feel strong enough to keep going. He knows our deepest desires to do the right thing. In the deeper moments of despair, our heart can speak to him more eloquently than our words can ever speak.

Ps 91:1-2 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

When we are under the shadow of the almighty, we are under his covering. The shadow of God covers us with protection and safety. He desires for us to get into the secret place with him, under his covering. And just sit quietly in his presence and let him listen to the deepest parts of our being, he will fill us with strength and peace. He gives us what we need most to keep going. Waiting on God is what we must do to find our strength.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

When he hears our heart, he will renew our strength. He will lift us up and give us what we need to keep going.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

These verses emphasize God’s attentive ear and His willingness to respond to the cries of His people, providing comfort and hope during times of distress. I encourage you to take quiet time, and allow God to hear your heart.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE, SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGMENT

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP433 LIFT US UP

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v70vnbk-god-focus-this-morning-ep433-lift-us-up.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: LIFT US UP

It doesn’t matter how far human beings sink, God is able to reach down and lift them out of their sin. As long as they do not go so far as to blasphemy against the spirit of God or the Holy Ghost. Many Christians have an epiphany moment where they cried out to God and he reached down and lifted them out of the pit.

Psalm 40:1-2 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

God will establish us. He will make sure the foundation under our feet is a solid foundation.

Is 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

We have no reason to fear, God is with us. He will give us strength and will give us the help we need. He will lift us up or hold us up to keep us from falling. We can be encouraged to know that God is with us.

He turns our mourning into joy. He gives us good things to replace the bad things. He gives us beauty for ashes. When the enemy tries to burn down our lives and we are left to mourn over what may have been. God is right there to give us peace and encourage us that he will give us a different outcome.

Is 63:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Our lives are meant to glorify God. We cannot glorify him if we are sad and depressed all the time. I am not saying we will not walk through times of saddness and mourning. That is just life, but some people choose to live their lives in that state all the time. We were never meant to be void of joy. God will give us joy, if we will delight in him and give him praise. God will give us strength in our struggles.

We can be sure he will never abandon us to be overtaken by the enemy. God is there, all we have to do is call on his name and he will lift us up.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS LIKE, SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGMENT

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING EP422 CHECKPOINT

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6zrci6-god-focus-this-morning-ep422-checkpoint.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: CHECKPOINT

I had a dream that prompted me to think about our subject for today. A checkpoint, is a place that your credentials are checked to see if you are allowed to proceed to the next area. You have to have the proper identification or you cannot enter a secured area.

I dreamed I was driving. It was night time and foggy. There was very little visibility. In front of me I could see brake lights. Then I was at a checkpoint. The ones that police put up to check license and registration. When I pulled up I gave the officer my paperwork. She looked them over, then said, as she was handing me back my papers. “You need to turn on your headlights.”

I said, “It is ok, my lights are automatic, see the switch is on A for automatic. She got a serious look and said, that is not good enough, they need to be on high beam. I woke up.

As I pondered this today, I feel like spiritually we are at a checkpoint. God, the one in authority is saying there is a lot of fog and darkness. We no longer have the luxury of letting our light shine on automatic. It is time we intensify the beam, because things are really dark. We have to be intentional with the amount of light that we shine. We must think about it and not just be on automatic. We are fighting intense darkness in all forms of evil.

The place we are going to is not a place everyone has the credentials to enter. You have to be a blood bought, spirit filled child of God. As the enemy intensifies his warfare, we too have to intensify our prayer and worship. Worship is our weapon. The enemy doesn’t win, God wins.

For now, witchcraft is on the rise. Baal worship and the worship of Satan is prevalent among the celebrities in Hollywood and our politicians. The same spirit that caused Elijah to call down fire from heaven to wake up the people of Israel to who God is, lives within us. But remember Elijah was opposed by Jezabel. That Jezabel spirit is in the world to this very day. Jezabel splits churches, divides families and wants to control all of society.

How do we combat the evil of Baal and Jezebel? It is time we call down fire from heaven. This time not in a literal way that Elijah did, but God is a consuming fire. If we are surrounded by his fire, the enemy will not be able to touch us.

Make no mistake things are getting real, there is no room in the middle. We need to be on fire for God or living like the world. There is no middle ground fence sitting, those days are gone.

We need to turn up our lights and penetrate the thick black darkness that is all around us. Today is the day to make a difference.

Let Proverbs 29:16 encourage you.

Prov 29:16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.

It is encouraging to me that their fall is going to be mighty. All those evil people who have harmed countless numbers of children will fall. They are coming up to God’s checkpoint and he is going to tell them that they cannot go any further. He is saying, enough is enough and they will be destroyed.

Will you get past the checkpoint? Are you prepared to intensify your light? Are you ready to go to battle with our enemy? It is ok, we do not have to go alone. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We can be strong and let our light shine into the darkness, it just has to be intentional and not automatic any longer.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE, SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGMENT

GOD FOCUS THIS MORINING–EP412–IRONING OUT THE WRINKLES

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6z3ri8-god-focus-this-morning-ep412-ironing-out-the-wrinkles.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE: IRONING OUT THE WRINKLES

One of the best things ever invented in my opinion is wrinkle releaser. Spray it on smooth out your clothes or toss them in the dryer. It get out most wrinkles. I hate to iron. I was thinking about how Jesus is coming after a bride without spot or wrinkle. As long as we keep ourselves unspotted by the world and our sins under the blood we just need to work on the wrinkles.

Growing up the granddaughter of an evangelist I have seen the best and the worst of those who call themselves Christians. I am blessed to remember those people that lived for Jesus with all their hearts. Those rare individuals showed me it is possible. Many others showed me another side, that it was very difficult. The Christian life is miserable if you are not 100% sold out to Christ. The closer I get to Jesus the easier things become, because I know he is in control.

It doesn’t take long when talking to people to realize almost everyone you meet has suffered from church hurt. The church is supposed to be a place of love and support. The sign outside says everyone welcome, but most mean if you change who you are to be just like us. If you dress like us and wear your hair like us. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not talking about embracing sin as if God’s laws don’t exist. But we have to show people compassion and not be self-righteous and judgmental. Many have standards that are made by man. Man’s traditions have destroyed many. When people don’t measure up to their ideas of holiness and righteousness, they are judged harshly. Gossip and judgment becomes part of the culture of that congregation. In all honesty, everyone is not welcome.

People, we have work to do. It’s time the church grew up and ironed out the wrinkles. We will never win the prodigals if we insist on judgment. The prodigal son was met by his father with open arms. He didn’t meet him with judgment and harsh words about his mistakes.

Things need to change in our culture when honest open dialog is treated as hate speech. But it is going to take that honest open dialog to get rid of the wrinkles. God doesn’t have denominations, he has those who want to know him and people who want the church culture to make themselves feel better. When God looks at them he sees wrinkles that have been made by jealousy, hate, envy and judgment. They don’t want to iron them or use God’s wrinkle releaser on their lives.

I am blessed to have a group of friends that I can pray with and have open discussions. We don’t agree on everything, but we agree to love one another and to help each other grow in our faith.

Prov 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

I want to be around people that make we want to be a better person. Ones that will call me out on my hangups and wrinkles.

Another way to remove wrinkles from fabric is steam. It is going to take the fire of the Holy Ghost to heat the living water in our lives to create the steam that will remove our wrinkles. We cannot become unwrinkled and unspotted on our own. Jesus is the only one that can truly make us blameless. However, we have work to do. We cannot go on with church as usual, there is a great big dying world that needs us to rise up and be the church. Not a version of a church, but the church, the broken body of Christ. This is the only way we will ever win the lost, is if we can come together in honest open, non judgmental dialog. Praying with one another for God’s leading, until He shows us the error of our ways.

God is truly the only one that can turn things around. We need to keep praying and believing that he will show up right on time and lead us into all truth and unity.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING –EP408 LEVELS OF BOLDNESS

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6ytm6e-god-focus-this-morning-ep408-levels-of-boldness.html

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “LEVELS OF BOLDNESS”

We are living in times where we need to be bold about our faith. The word bold means, not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger; courageous and daring. Warriors of God, we need to not be fearful but have courage.

When Jesus chose Peter, he was a fisherman. Strong and willing to do the right thing for his family. Fishermen were often rough brawlers. They were not considered scholarly or well educated. Most of them had what we would call street smarts today. They had survival skills that helped them brave the elements as they tried to catch fish. They knew how to negotiate for the best price for their daily catch.

Peter was determined to follow Jesus. He was brave enough to walk away from everything to follow Jesus. As he walked with Jesus, he started learning about miracles. He knew in his heart that Jesus was the Messiah. Many of the Jews were blind to this fact. Some were too evil to care, others were too religious to see it.

Peter was known to have a temper. He would hear Jesus preach about loving people. Yet Peter was ready to defend Jesus with a sword. In the garden of Gethsemane, Peter was bold and took on a Roman soldier with a sword, cutting off his ear. He was brave enough to fight for Jesus in the natural. He was bold in the flesh, but he lacked spiritual boldness. Once Jesus was taken to be delivered up for crucifixion, Peter lost all boldness for a moment and he let fear kick in. He allowed his fear to overtake his faith. I can see how easily that could happen. One day he is walking with the Messiah who had power to heal people and raise the dead. Then all of the sudden he was taken captive to be offered up for punishment.

He denied Jesus and found himself warming by the enemy’s fire. Jesus wasn’t concerned by his momentary laps in judgment. Jesus knew what Peter would become someday. He knew Peter would be a strong leader after He ascended into heaven.

Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

When Jesus was crucified, Peter’s faith waivered. His boldness spiraled and failed him. Until fortified on the day of Pentecost. Then he boldly stood and proclaimed, “This is that which was prophesied by Joel.” He never looked back. Once he walked with Jesus as a man and his friend. But after that day, God was within him. Suddenly he had HOLY Boldness. He became an empowered spreader of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

He suffered much for the gospel. He may not have always done the right thing. But he never denied Christ again. Church history says that he was even crucified upside down, because he felt unworthy to die like his savior. Many people down through the years have been Martyred for the gospel. Peter went through many levels of boldness. As he walked in one and grew in faith, God raised him up a level.

One story today that is famous is the story of David and Goliath. Many use that story to describe when someone comes up against what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle or battle. David had many levels of boldness that he grew through in his life. He was a young man when he killed a lion. It took boldness to do his duty of protecting the sheep. His boldness grew as he came up against a bear, killing it. He was growing in faith in his God as each thing happened. It came time to go up against Goliath. He had to be bold to stand and convince Saul to let him meet his destiny. It took boldness to decide to not put on Saul’s armor, but to stand bravely without physical armor. But he boldly declared that God would deliver him.

Satan has always had evil men in power. Look at Hearod, he killed many young male babies in hopes of killing Jesus. Because he didn’t want to give up his crown. He didn’t understand that Jesus wasn’t born to take his earthly crown.

The Foxes Book of Martyrs is a book of church history. It tells stories of people that have been martyred for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is horrific what these people suffered. They were an inspiration to many people down through the ages. They had to have holy boldness to stand and say, “It doesn’t matter what you do, I will not deny Christ.”

Today satan has people in power that have evil intentions. We can stand strong, like Peter or David. The same Spirit that was in them is within us. We can have Holy Boldness and stand in the middle of adversity. Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is the only true God. He is the only God that died to give us life.

We need to give him back that life as an offering to thank him for Eternal life. Make no mistake about it when you decide to live a life for Jesus. The enemy will try to stop you. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

We will never win the lost with a watered down, weak gospel. People need the real truth of God. They need us to have holy boldness and stand up to evil as the early church. Where would we be today if they had not fully surrendered to the cause of Christ? Would we even know about God’s plan of salvation? I would hate to think that the gospel itself became lost because I was not bold enough to open my mouth in declaration of God’s plan.

II COR 4:1-4 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

I encourage you today to let your bold light shine to the world. They have been blinded to the gospel. But Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, physically and spiritually. If we can be bold, we can give the blind a little bit of light to start to see that Jesus is real and HE IS ALL they need.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGMENT

GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING –EP407 MISSED OPPORTUNITY

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6yrrn6-god-focus-this-morning-ep407-missed-opportunity.html

As I was driving past a church the other day, I noticed that the marquee sign out front was blank. I remembered when a message on a marquee sign was used by God to call this prodigal home. Well, that and a billboard earlier that day. But that is a story for another day. As I looked at the blank sign disappointment filled me, I thought, wow what a missed opportunity to turn someone’s life around.

Many times, I have been encouraged by a scripture verse or nugget of wisdom on church signs. As I continued driving, I wondered how many times I have missed opportunities to be the light that I was created to be. How many times have you missed opportunities to let your light shine?

At times has my life been like the blank marquee? Have I been so closed down that my witness was like a blank sign?

There is a Latin phrase that many are familiar with, Carpe Diem. It means to pluck the day, most say seize the day. It means that we make the most of every opportunity that we have been given. We pluck the opportunities out of each moment.

Each day is a blank page and how we fill it is totally up to us. Will we go about our day on autopilot? Will we try to find opportunities to be a light and a witness? I don’t want there to be any missed opportunities in my life. I don’t want to be a blank sign. I want my life to be a witness. We do not know what a day will bring our way. Life is like a vapour, here one moment then it’s gone. Because time is slipping away, we have to take hold of the chances given to us.

James 4:13-14 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

I believe God allowed me to see the blank sign and to feel complete disappointment to remind me to go out and do all that I can to reach the lost. They cannot come to God on their own, they don’t know that they can, except someone tells them.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith in God comes by understanding the word of God. They must hear it with their ears or see it on a billboard. The word of God is powerful to transform lives, but it has to be where it can be seen and heard. So that understanding can lead to salvation.

We would not be saved if someone had not told us about the power of the cross to transform lives. We must seize every opportunity to be a light and hope to the lost.

When I think about missed opportunities in the bible, the parable of the ten virgins comes to mind. Some would say they should not have slept. But all ten slept, while they waited. The difference is that five of them were prepared. They had gathered their supplies and were prepared. The foolish five, were not prepared, they had no oil. They didn’t do all they could ahead of time to assure that they would be ready to meet the bride groom.

Our faith walk boils down to us being prepared and doing all we can to help others prepare to meet Jesus in the air.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 369 DON’T DIE TWICE

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6v6m1f-god-focus-this-morning-ep369-dont-die-twice.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: DON’T DIE TWICE

I have shared with you many times about how fear destroys faith. Fear is fuel for our enemy to turn up his pressure. He wants to keep us down by causing us to fear. As Christians, we are to walk by faith. If we allow fear to destroy our faith, how are we going to finish this race that is set before us? Fear is the opposite of faith.

We often hear people say that a liar shall have their place in the lake of fire. This is a serious thing. It is a reminder to pray every day to keep our failures and sins under the blood of Christ. After reading the following verse I am starting to think that walking in fear may be the sin of unbelief. Since fear is the opposite of faith.

David stood before Goliath in faith. He didn’t stand in fear. He faced the giant with the strength and heart of a warrior. Knowing that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. We, too, need to know that God will not allow us to be overtaken by our enemy.

Rev 21:6-8 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

It is appointed for man to die once and then the judgment. How we have lived the one life will determine if we suffer from a second death. Those who are not right upon physical death will end up in hell, which is the second death.

Most know that being a liar, murderer, whoremonger, sorcerer and idolater will send them to hell. But what surprised me in the list was fearful and unbelieving. Many people will end up in hell because they chose to live in their sins. They do not believe in Jesus and his work on the cross. We often even call them unbelievers. However, I had never noticed the word fearful in that verse before today. I guess always before, I had skimmed over it.

It makes me think if we fully trust God, we will not be shaken. Nothing will cause us to fear because he holds us in his hand. He will take care of us. We have no reason to fear. I don’t know too many, if any, that have arrived fully, at the point in which they always walk by faith and never by sight.

Learning to walk by faith is a lifelong pursuit. That is why our elders seem so strong in their faith. They have been living by faith for a long time. They have learned how to be overcomers. In verse six, when he said he was Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. That encompasses everything from start to finish.

The key to verse six is that next phrase, I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. If we are thirsty for the things of God. We will draw close to Him. We will spend time in pursuit of Him through prayer and worship. The closer we are to Jesus, the less we will fear man or satan. This is the place we need to be to avoid the lake of fire. We need to be close to Jesus.

The fountain of the water of life means eternal life for the believer; it is a sign of spiritual cleansing and ultimate satisfaction for our soul.

Matt 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Our faith walk boils down to how much we hunger to be in God’s presence. If we desire righteousness, we will be filled. If we have righteousness from the Lord, we will not fear the enemy. We will never have to suffer the second death. We will have life eternal.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE 312 THE SCARLET THREAD

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6rhnwd-god-focus-this-morning-ep312-the-scarlet-thread.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SCARLET THREAD

A tapestry is a piece of cloth that is used for rugs, curtains or blankets. They have intricate designs created by weaving different colors of thread into the cloth. These colors make pictures or beautiful abstract designs.

Our lives are often like a tapestry. If we stand back and look at it as a whole, we will see the masterpiece that God is creating. But up close, often we do not see the whole picture. We may feel at times we have failed or fell. That failure is a dark thread that we would like to remove from our lives. Maybe, when the white thread was used, we became too self-righteous. But it takes all the colors to create a picture.

Jer 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Not just anyone can sit down at a weaving loom and make intricate patterns. It takes someone who has practiced the art of weaving. Just like God has so lovingly planned out each thread of our lives. He has even allowed for the times that we have strayed and will put us back on track as if nothing happened. He has a plan and just wants us to say, “I trust you Lord.”

It is time we let go of the way we look at our lives. Jesus only cares that there is a crimson thread that shows we are his child. That crimson thread says we have given the tapestry of our lives over to the master planner and creator.

Thinking about a red string reminded me of the story of Rahab. She didn’t live a perfect life. She was known as Rahab the harlot. But after God saved her family from destruction, she married into the lineage of Jesus. Talking about a transformation.

The story goes that Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to see the strengths and weaknesses of the city. Jericho was in the area that God promised to Israel. They were going to take the city. The spies entered into the house of Rahab. As the soldiers of Jericho started to search for the spies, she hid them and helped them to escape.

She told them that she had faith in their God and asked that they spare her and her household. The spies told her to hang a red cord out the window. It would be a sign to the soldiers not destroy her or her household. They told her to get everyone inside and they would be spared. Those outside of the covering would be on their own. The cord was a mark of protection.

We too have a scarlet thread of protection, called the blood of Jesus. By accepting Christ, we defy the ruler of this world. Just like Rahab defied or betrayed the king over Jericho. When they went to battle, no harm came to Rahab or her family.

This too is a reminder of the Passover lamb that the Israelites put blood over the door of their house. Any house with the blood of the lamb, the death angel passed over and spared all inside. Just as Jesus’ blood is our covering from the enemy being able to destroy us.

We sometimes look at things in our life with regret. I am sure that everyone at some point has wished they had made different choices. We cannot go back and pull-out threads from the tapestry of our lives. There is no going backwards only forward. All that matters is the scarlet thread running through the fabric of our life. That gives us access to God’s forgiveness and grace.

God has many plans for us, he just needs our surrender. When we give our lives completely to him, he can turn an average weaving into a beautiful tapestry. When we live our lives to bring him glory, others will want to bring him glory also. We each have more influence than we know.

The scarlet thread is the symbol of atonement found through out the entire bible. If God has you in a season of reflection and sitting quietly with him. He is allowing you a moment to catch up and ask him to take you deeper into what he has for you. The quiet prayer season is not a time to pick at the threads of life. It is not a time to look back with regret at the mistakes. It is time to say, “I trust you Lord, I do not know what the end result will look like, but I trust that you will make my life a beautiful picture of your mercy and grace.”

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Look around us at the beauty of the world. The landscapes, sunrise and the seas. He created everything with amazing beauty and it will all be destroyed one day. How much more time and planning do he give each of us? He wants only what is best for us. He allows different seasons to shape us into the person we need to be to accomplish the life he has chosen for us.

Prov 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

We all fall and fail when we lose our God Focus. The lesson is not always in the falling, but in the rising up again. It takes courage sometimes to get back up. But Jesus is there to give us a hand and pull us up, all we have to do it reach out and take hold of his hand.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

EPISODE 309 LEAVING COMPLACENCY BEHIND

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6r9j8s-god-focus-this-morning-ep309-leaving-complacency-behind.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: LEAVING COMPLACENCY BEHIND

Everything is determined by bloodlines. Slaves were slaves for generations, because of their bloodlines. From the time a young prince is born he is raised to be king, because he is the son of the current king.

Have you ever thought about how God’s people went from being God’s people to being slaves in Egypt? God sent them there to escape famine. But he didn’t send them there to be slaves. They forgot who they were and slowly over time they ended up in bondage.

God showed Abraham favor and gave him Issac, Issac’s son was named Jacob. He wanted to be the head of the family so badly that he stole it from his brother Essau. He tricked him into giving him his birth right for a bowl of beans. That opened the door for him to trick Issac into giving him the place of being in charge of the family, when Issac passed away.

Jacob’s youngest son was highly favored out of all of his sons. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, over jealousy. He faced many ups and downs in his lifetime. But eventually, he was elevated by God to be second in command over all of Egypt. God sent the children of Israel to Egypt, to the place Joseph was to escape a famine.

But they didn’t return home when the famine was over. Many chose to stay because they had grown accustomed to the ways of Egypt. Many mixed the worship of the gods of Egypt with the worship of the one true God. They took great wealth into Egypt, but over the course of generations, they were taxed out of their wealth. Soon they were stuck and couldn’t afford to return to the land of their fathers.

They were at the mercy of Egypt. Over the course of time, they became slaves. Until a generation grew up that didn’t know Joseph. By this time, they were living like slaves and were raising their children to be slaves. They would cry out to God for help and freedom. But they would still go about their lives mixing the cultures to some extent.

We can learn several lessons from this portion of the scripture. One when God sends you somewhere, make sure you know how long he wants you to stay. Many people have gotten into trouble by staying too long. Not everyone we come in contact within this life is meant to be in our lives forever. Sometimes we are only meant to be there long enough to help them through a specific thing. Then we are to move on. Other times, God gives us lifelong friends that will walk this path of life with us through all the versions of ourselves.

When God sends us somewhere we cannot allow the culture to affect us. We are meant to have an affect on the people we meet. If we stay too long and get comfortable, we can end up in bondage.

Complacency is a tool of the enemy. He wants us to look at sin and say this little thing or that little thing will not matter. God is loving and forgiving. Then we end up bound by the enemy. Complacency kills.

We right now are in a moment of decision. Will we choose to follow Jesus and not stay stuck in complacency. Will we stay where we are and allow the enemy to bind us up with mediocrity. Being battle weary will lead us to be complacent. It is a fight we have to fight daily.

Gal 6: 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

God wants to do great things with and for his children in our time. We cannot faint and become weak. We have to stay where God can give us strength. He is waiting for us to choose sides. The complacent cannot go where God is getting ready to take the church. He is getting ready to remove from the bride, our spots and wrinkles of manmade religion and rituals.

Right now, the bride has wrinkles of division. She is not fully adorned with the fruit of the spirit. He is coming after a bride that has made herself ready. We have to do all that we can to walk upright and live holy. We cannot compromise on what the word of God says. The harvest is ready, and it is time the church stepped up.

The bride is incomplete right now there are many that need to be saved. There is much work to be done. But we cannot do the work needed if we are sitting in our complacency waiting for the rapture of the church. The church has allowed the enemy to come along and over generations he has put us in a bad position. It is time for us to rise up and get out of the bondage of man-made religion. It is time to get outside the walls of the buildings we call churches and just be the church. It is time for the bride to adorn herself with the things of God. Think about it, soon we will be called away to a royal wedding. Because of Jesus’ blood, we are of the bloodline. O what a glorious day that will be when we see Jesus.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LIKE SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT